A China-born scientist working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who was arrested in the US for espionage and then cleared, has contributed to a discovery of what his researchers call possibly the “best semiconductor material ever found.”
Chen Gang is among of group of researchers who tested the use of cubic boron arsenide as an alternative to silicon in microchips, according to a new paper published in the journal Science.
It has much higher mobility than silicon and 10 times greater thermal conductivity, which could make it even better than silicon, the researchers said.
Still to be Proven
“The challenge now is to figure out practical ways of making this material in usable quantities,” Chen told the MIT News Office. While the material appears to be almost perfect for semiconductors, “whether it can actually get into a device and replace some of the current market, I think that still has yet to be proven,” he said
The discovery comes just a year after Chen was arrested for allegedly not disclosing his connections to Chinese institutions. The charges were dropped by the US Department of Justice earlier this year due to a lack of evidence.
- By Alfie Habershon
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